Abraham, Isaac, and ?

(Gen 50:24) And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

For some reason this scripture has always been intriguing to me. In the Old Testament the first born son is always the child who gets a special blessing. I could see how Abraham was the first born unto God through covenant. I could even rationalize how Isaac would be considered the first born to Abraham and Sarah even though he was the second born to Abraham. However, when it comes to Jacob it becomes more difficult to rationalize how he could be considered first born since he was clearly the second born. Jacob's brother, Esau, was the first born...so it would seem reasonable for this scripture to have been written Abraham, Isaac and Esau.

If the first born is the son of special blessings, then it would behoove us to ask, what makes the first, first? Whatever the answer to that question is, it has a direct relationship to all of us today who are on this side of the cross. It is obvious this picture begins to clear up as we look at it in light of what Jesus did for us on the cross. It is not by birth that we are made first born but by rebirth.

In Jacob's case, he was not only the second child to be born, but he was also a swindler and an all around bad boy. Instead of serving his brother by sharing his food with him he swindled Esau out of his birthright due him as the first born son. The issue is not whether Esau deserved to lose his birthright. The issue is the wickedness in Jacob's heart to want to swindle his brother out of his birthright in the first place.

In spite of all of Jacob's dirty dealings, from this story we learn two very important lessons that would apply to us today. The first lesson we learn is that Jacob was desperate for the spiritual birthright of the first born, whereas Esau was desperate for natural food. The second lesson is that even though Jacob was born number two in his family, somewhere along the way he was reborn to be number one. This is evident when we see him bowing to his brother Esau in repentance for his dirty dealings. Because of his repentant heart, this could be the reason our text reads Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and not Abraham, Isaac and Esau.

I am the youngest of four siblings and yet there is no doubt in my mind that I have always had the rights and blessings of the first born. I have not done anything (as far as I know) to deserve the favor of God, yet I have it. That certainty does not mean that I have not had my share of trials, needs and disappointments—but in spite of that I am blessed. As Jacob was desperate for his brother's birthright...I am also desperate for the presence of God.

I had a conversation recently with a friend of mine who is extremely bright and gifted. I told him there was a big difference between him and me. I said you are more good than you are desperate...but I am more desperate than I am good. I said you can do a lot of things without God, but I can do nothing without God.

Thanks to Jesus Christ every born again believer has been given the birthright of the firstborn. With that birthright God can accomplish the miraculous through each one of us.

Perhaps the scripture, 'the first shall be last' is a perfect example of Jacob and Esau.

Father,

I thank you for the birthright of the first born. As a result of that gift you have made each of us your favorite child. Help us Lord to always be desperate for your presence as we walk by faith being led by the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

What Will Be Found in Your Trunk?

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts. And then shall each one have praise of God.

1 Corinthians 4:5 MKJV

We will no doubt be shocked in that last day when everything that is hidden will be revealed. Every thought, every word, every action, every secret will be brought to light and judged. The thought of that is almost frightful.

This should be motivation enough for us to live a forgiven lifestyle and to daily repent for our hidden deeds, actions and unkind words. If I were to use computer language I would say we need to defrag our hearts and spirits on a daily basis.

As a kid, I remember that everyone seemed to have an old trunk they put valuables in for safe keeping and posterity. Oftentimes they would put their trunk in the attic of the house. The only time they would go up and open the trunk is when they wanted to reminisce or put something else of value in the trunk. The sort of things you might find in the trunk would be the bride's wedding gown, a lock of baby hair, an old quilt, old photos, their baby's first pair of booties...and other such valuables. The trunk was really a biography of that family.

About fifty years ago I remember driving by an old two story house that was being torn down. I stopped because in the front yard lay the remains of an old trunk and its contents which had been thrown out of the attic window. I walked over and picked up some old metal photos. One looked to be the father and mother on their wedding day, other photos looked to be the children growing up and others may have been the grand parents. There were also other valuables from the old trunk strewn all over the yard. I put the pictures down and stood back and looked at what was once a show place of a home. I am sure in its day, horse drawn carriages were seen pulling up in front of that stately home, dropping off others of high society. Now...the home, the treasures in the old trunk, and the people who once lived there are nothing more than a faint memory in some old person's mind.

We may not put natural trunks in our attics for memorabilia any more, but we do have a private place of storage called the mind. The things that were stored in the attic trunk in those days were things of pleasure and peace. The things that are stored in our mind's attic are oftentimes un-forgiveness, anger and things that displease God. These are the things that will be revealed in the last day. Unfortunately they could have the feeling of being strewn all over our spiritual front yard for the whole world to see. That is what the word reveals means. The only things that will be forgotten will be the sins and wrongs that were confessed.

Perhaps this is a good time for all of us to clean out our trunks and ask forgiveness from God and show forgiveness to others.

Father,

Help us to fill our trunks with the memories of a blessed life. The wedding gown would symbolize when we were saved and all our sins were washed away. The lock of hair would represent when we gave up our pride for your beauty. The booties would represent the innocence of those early days of being a Christian. The old photos would depict our joy of seeing our first miracle. The old patchwork quilt symbolizes each step of our journey with you dear Lord. Father, help us to only store those things of eternal value in our memory trunk.

Amen.

Who Is Your Daddy?

"For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel."

1 Corinthians 4:15 KJV

This question was a famous line in a movie a few years ago. The question had to do with a high school football team giving their allegiance to their coach. No doubt the team's allegiance to their coach was important, but a more serious answer must be given to such a question today. We live in a world that sometimes appears to be fatherless, and a good pattern for true fathers seems to be lacking.

Once while in Africa I was taken to an orphanage where small children were kept. They had many babies in the orphanage, but I was particularly drawn to one little boy who looked to be about six to eight months old. I asked the lady in charge to tell me the story of this baby. She said, "Well, we don't know much, we found him sitting all alone in a big open field crying. We know his mother was probably not able to care for him so she left him in the field to die or to be eaten by a wild animal." Then she said, "We also know he has aids, but we don't know anything else about him." He was a cute little guy so I picked him up and loved on him for a while, prayed for him and left and never saw him again. Outside of Christ, if this baby lives he will never be able to answer the question of "Who is your Daddy?"

When a child is rejected by its parents there seems to be a long range effect on the child. Even though many children are adopted into caring homes, they still seem to have a void that follows them into adulthood. The reason for this void is because there are certain things a child gets from their biological parents that they cannot get from anyone else. In spite of all the love they may receive from others…filling up the void is much more difficult. True nurturing in most cases seems to come from the child's birth mother. Their character and confidence in most cases seems to come from their birth father.

As wonderful as it is to have loving adoptive parents who sincerely care for the unwanted…there is still something lacking that can only be found in a relationship with God. Without that personal relationship with God it is also hard for them to answer the question of "Who is your Daddy?"

The church of today seems to be filled with spiritual orphans. Many have natural parents, but they still feel fatherless. If the question was asked "Who is your Daddy?" many would have to say I don't know. Perhaps this is why Paul said, "For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel."

I was one of those who did not have a father. However, I was one of those fortunate ones who had many great men in my life. I learned life from these men because I was a learner and not necessarily because they were trying to father or mentor me. I am extremely thankful for the father types God put in my life, and I believe each of them were sent from God for my benefit.

I also believe there is a fathers' anointing as there are other anointings. I believe the Lord has given me that anointing in the Body of Christ because I father many people today. Among the many things I have done in the ministry over the last fifty years, none is more important to me than my father role.

My heart was broken as I looked into the face of the little African baby boy who was left in the open field for animal food. My heart is still broken today when I look into the faces of men and women who also seem to be left in the open fields of the world for Satan to devour. If someone should ask "Who is your Daddy?," I will be happy to say "I am."

Father,

I count it all joy to be called a spiritual father in the kingdom of God. I intend to fulfill that calling as well as to pray for Malachi 4:5-6 to be fulfilled. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."

Amen.

FATHER ABRAHAM

For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for I have begotten you in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

1 Cor 4:15 MKVA

It has been said that no one in the bible depicts the role of a father more than Abraham. However, as we examine that principle more closely we discover that it isn't Abraham who deserves the father credit, but God himself.

Abraham's biggest asset was that he had a heart that was willing to serve God unconditionally. Because of his obedience, he will not only be remembered as a covenant friend of God, but also as a father of nations. The fact that Abraham carried the title of "father of nations" doesn't necessarily mean that he also carried the tile of "Father of the Year," particularly in regards to his own son?

Let's examine the history of Abraham in order to discover some of the father pearls he is known for.

The first obvious father pearl we discover is Abram's faith. He had enough faith in God to leave his own country, home, family and friends in order to follow God unconditionally.

In spite of the flaws in Abram's life, God saw a father potential in him that could be used as an example to all nations. After all, faith is the foundation for everything spiritual.

The second obvious father pearl is unselfishness. Abraham was willing to give the best available land to his nephew Lot because of his love for Lot. Unselfishness has to be one of the major qualifications for being a spiritual father. Mankind was born selfish and in all likelihood will die selfish unless redeemed by God.

The third obvious father pearl is that Abraham was a protector. Even when Lot was in trouble, Abraham was willing to risk his own life and people in order to rescue Lot.

Abraham met all the requirements important to God for fathering. These requirements must also be met by every man today who aspires to be a good father example.

• Abraham was an example of faith.
• Abraham was unselfish.
• Abraham was a protector.

Meeting the qualifications of faith along with giving and protecting...no doubt made Abraham a candidate for father of the year. Meeting those same qualifications will also make you a candidate for father of the year as well.

Father,
Thank you for choosing me to be a father example to those who follow me as those who followed Abraham. Help me to leave a legacy of faith, giving and protection that will encourage others to also want to be a father example to their generation.
Amen

Come to My Church

And the lord said to the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.

Like 14:23 KJV

Even though Jesus spent a lot of private time with his Father…He was never considered to be a private person. His mission was that of saving the world and this could not be accomplished in private. The Luke passage is also interesting because it didn't say that Jesus pre-qualified the guests who were to fill His house. He seemed to be more interested in filling His house than He was in who the guests were.

Perhaps this is a clue as to how Jesus expects us to evangelize. I remember a time when people were almost pre-qualified before they were accepted into the church. If they did not act a certain way they were not welcome. If they didn't dress a certain way they were not accepted. If they had rowdy kids they were asked to leave. If they sat in the wrong pew they were scolded.

Most denominational churches operated under that code because they thought the church was for the saved and not the lost. They looked at the church building as the place where God lived, so they tried to keep it as free as possible from what they believed to be the undesirables. That act may seem strange to folks today, but those people walked in the revelation they had at the time. (I remember those days well.)

Over the last fifty or sixty years the body of Christ has matured a great deal. The term, "come to my church," has a different meaning today than it did back then. In those days it meant come and be like us. Today it means come and we will celebrate together.

This was the case with me several years ago. I went to a conference where I was not speaking. I wanted to go and enjoy the spirit of the meetings and be refreshed. At the end of the first message the invitation was given and scores of people came to be prayed for. The speaker recognized me and asked if I would come and pray for people at the alter. I reluctantly went up and waited for the Lord to show me who I was to pray for. I felt the Lord leading me to a certain man so I went and prayed for him and prophesied over him. The Lord then led me to another man and the same thing happened. This was repeated several times with other men. When I finished praying for the last man the Lord led me to stop praying for people. I then noticed that each of the men I prayed for started getting together and talking while looking back at me. They finely came over and told me they were all leaders in the same church. On the way to the conference…as they were praying, the Lord told them they were going to meet a man who had a word for their church. They said as I prayed and prophesied over each of them it was the exact word they needed. They all agreed and said, "would you come to my church"?

This invitation was not to come and be like them but to come with a word from God and celebrate with them.

Their idea was for me to come and help them fulfill this Luke passage that says, "Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled."

Father,

I thank you for making us more aware that as individuals we makeup the church. Help us to be more effective in inviting people into our hearts without first pre-qualifying them. Thank you Lord for this Luke passage because it shows us the heart of love that we are to emulate.

Amen.